Glades Academy Elementary Charter School Achieves 'A' Grade

PAHOKEE, Fla., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Glades Academy Elementary School achieved the two highest honors a school can receive during the 2010-2011 school year: an A rating and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), part of the federal No Child Left Behind program, for the second straight year.

"It is thrilling to reach an A rating and AYP; it shows just how far Glades Academy charter school has grown in its first 10 years," said Emilia Fanjul, Glades Academy's chairwoman of the board. "I'm so proud of the nurturing, safe environment our teachers and administrators have created for the students to be able to reach their highest potential. Our staff has done a phenomenal job, and we will keep building on this for the future."

Glades Academy was the only elementary school in rural western Palm Beach County to achieve an A rating.

The charter school also achieved AYP for the second consecutive year and has reached it in three of the last four school years. The Florida Department of Education's School Accountability Reports, which show the results of Florida's A+ Plan and the No Child Left Behind Act, revealed the difficulty of achieving AYP in that less than 10 percent of schools in the Palm Beach County School District earned it.

"My staff and I are very pleased and proud to be part of the expansion of Glades Academy and the progress the students have made," said Principal Don Zumpano. "The results of the Spring 2011 FCATs were very positive, as a result of highly qualified teachers who are dedicated to the children's success. I have been fortunate during the past several years to have been supported by Board members, who have been assisting in the mission of continuing to raise academic standards. I am confident that Glades Academy's students will continue to progress."

Glades Academy will start the 2011-2012 school year in a brand new school campus, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including internet access in each classroom and interactive white boards, to help students learn utilizing the latest educational tools.

Glades Academy Elementary, a charter school founded in Pahokee, Fla. by Emilia Fanjul in 2001, offers the communities of western Palm Beach County a wider range of education through school choice. Glades Academy's student body is 100 percent minority and all qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. Please visit www.GladesAcademy.org for further information.

Contact:
Marianne Martinez
561-366-5193

SOURCE Glades Academy Elementary